USA – The Abortion Divide Gets Deeper

The Abortion Divide Gets Deeper
With Roe threatened, red and blue states are pulling even further apart.

Michelle Goldberg
March 29, 2019

This week, a Georgia state representative, Ed Setzler, the sponsor of a bill that would ban most abortions as soon as a fetal heartbeat could be detected, spoke to a conservative group in the Atlanta suburbs about the legal fight he’d embarked on. “We need to maximize our influence over the next couple of weeks and then close this deal,” he said. Then, he continued, conservatives must mobilize behind Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, as “he recruits the best legal team in the nation to take this to the highest court in the land.”

With the ascension of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, as well as a host of other judges appointed by Donald Trump to lower courts, anti-abortion forces are engaged in a game of legislative whack-a-mole. Sensing their chance to either eviscerate or overturn Roe v. Wade, Republicans are pushing a barrage of anti-abortion measures at the state level, seeing which one goes all the way to the top.

Continued: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/29/opinion/abortion-heartbeat-ban-georgia.html

USA – Dozens of Hollywood celebrities oppose ‘heartbeat’ abortion bill, vow to abandon Georgia if it becomes law

Dozens of Hollywood celebrities oppose 'heartbeat' abortion bill, vow to abandon Georgia if it becomes law

The Associated Press
March 28, 2019

ATLANTA — More than 40 Hollywood celebrities have signed a letter sent to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and House Speaker David Ralston saying they will urge TV and film production companies to abandon the state if a "heartbeat" abortion bill becomes law.

The bill prohibits most abortions after six weeks from conception and could come to a House vote as early as Thursday. If approved, it will go to Kemp, who's expected to sign it.

Continued: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/03/28/hollywood-celebs-oppose-georgia-heartbeat-abortion-bill-vow-boycott/3304133002/

USA – A Wave Of New Bills In The U.S. Would Ban Abortion Before Most Women Even Know They’re Pregnant

A Wave Of New Bills In The U.S. Would Ban Abortion Before Most Women Even Know They're Pregnant

Andrea González-Ramírez
March 15, 2019

While U.S. President Donald Trump is banking on the power of inflammatory anti-abortion rhethoric to help him win the White House again, conservative lawmakers in state legislatures across the country are laser-focused on taking the fight to the courts. The road to making abortion illegal in the U.S. again is paved with extreme regulations like so-called “heartbeat bills.”

Since January, nearly a dozen states have introduced this type of legislation, which bans abortion as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected. One of them is Georgia, where the measure could be approved by the state Senate as soon as Monday. The bill passed the House last week and Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has urged lawmakers to send it to his desk.

Continued: https://www.refinery29.com/en-ca/2019/03/227109/abortion-heartbeat-bill-georgia-ohio-six-weeks-pregnant